Graham Lean and Associates

How long have you been in business as a consultant and what region(s) do you service?

I have been running a farm management consultancy based at Hamilton for 10 years, Victoria which commenced December 2006. I service farmers in Victoria, SA and WA, but particularly in Western Victoria. I also spent 4 years with the Melbourne University’s Mackinnon Project and before that, I spent 7 years in WA, based at Kojonup.

What are the 5 key management principles producers should adopt to manage drench resistance and worm management in your area?

1. Testing for drench resistance
2. Give an effective first summer drench
3. Worm egg count monitoring to determine additional drenches
4. Grazing management – e.g, cattle/sheep swap and Smart Grazing

What is your favourite quotation and why?

• Don’t die wondering.
• Better to have a go and get stuck in, instead of dithering and watching from the sidelines.

What achievement are you most proud of?

Publishing a paper on the performance of a group of case study clients that showed significant gains in productivity and profit performance in comparison to other farms benchmarked over the same period.

What excites you most about country life and your job?

The down to earth nature of country life – being outside – and being able to drive around and admire the countryside while doing my job, while most city people spend their workdays dreaming about it.  My job has a good combination of indoor intellectual challenges and outdoor activities.  Perfect!

Who has been your biggest influence and why?

That’s a hard one – I’ve had several mentors over my life that have been invaluable. But if I were to name one person, it would have to be Fred Morley. Fred’s towering intellect was always something to aspire to – but his knowledge of agronomy, animal health and production, genetics and business was staggering (he performed genetic research, sheep and cattle parasite research as well as selecting the clover lines that ultimately would be released as Trikkala clover). Particularly the way he melded all that knowledge to together. That is something I strive to do every working day, as it is the core of delivering value to clients.

The Mackinnon Project

How long has the Mackinnon project been in business as a consultant and what region(s) does it service?

The Mackinnon Project started in 1983 with a bequest from the Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust. Dr Fred Morley was the inaugural Director. It now provides a wide range of ‘whole-farm’ advisory services to farmers in south-eastern Australia, as well as to industry groups such as AWI, MLA and agribusiness.

What are the 5 key management principles producers should adopt to manage drench resistance and worm management in your area?

Every farm is different. However, a basic principle in SE Australia is that increased contamination with worm eggs during late summer and autumn can profoundly influence the system in winter. The ‘generic’ strategies summarised below need to be adapted to each farm with the help of an experienced adviser:

1. Test for drench resistance – use a worm egg count reduction trial.
2. Monitor worm egg counts at key times (eg. all mobs before the time of the 2nd summer drench, weaners and maiden ewes at 4-6 weekly intervals after the autumn break, ewes before lambing).
3. Integrate Grazing Management into worm control programs – this means the ‘Smart grazing’ concept or cattle-sheep interchange.
4. If in a ‘high risk’ area for worms start using rams selected for low worm egg count (an increased immunity to worms) now.
5. Pay attention to weaner and ewe nutrition – the production penalties from worms are far worse in sheep in lower condition score.

What excites the project team most?

Working with clients to achieve a sustainable increase in the profitability of their grazing enterprise.